JULIUS FLICKERMAN RETURNS

Colbert Tries to Rush the D.N.C. Podium in Hunger Games Costume

It’s time for Stephen Colbert to tackle the Democratic National Convention.

On Monday, the Late Show host opened with a 60s-inspired musical tribute to the political event in Philadelphia. After eating a trippy Philly cheesesteak, Colbert was transported to a groovy music video world of dancing hippies, vintage animation, and jokey lyrics. As he puts it, the “party of the donkey is about to get funky.”

The lyrics playfully skewer the grandiose nature of the event, as well as its high-profile speakers like Bernie Sanders and his bros, the “DILF” Martin O’Malley, Elizabeth Warren, and Michelle Obama, who can “plagiarize herself.”

“You must rejoice/there is no choice/she is your destiny/death, taxes, and Hillary,” Colbert sings, the latter part serving as the chorus throughout the song.

He also, as is his custom, gave the D.N.C. the Hunger Games treatment, bringing back his version of Caesar Flickerman.

In the clip, Colbert wanders the convention floor, lightly mocking things like the gluten-free zone and the concession stands—the latter because “you’ll never find Bernie Sanders here. Wordplay!”

He also desperately tries to get to the podium—the way he somehow did at the R.N.C.—using every trick in the book to get the stiff security off his back, including carrying a fake “Podium” pass, singing the “Star-Spangled Banner,” and the old-fashioned move—running. He even tries reaching out to Nancy Pelosi, which . . . well, you’ll see if that works.